


Geniuses, Hunters, Inspectors

by EventHorizons13



Category: Sherlock (TV), Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Demons, Gen, Greg Lestrade's sister - Freeform, Not Canon Compliant, Sherlock Being Sherlock, Supernatural Elements, Vampires, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-04-15
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:41:57
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 16,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23660047
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EventHorizons13/pseuds/EventHorizons13
Summary: A series of one shots. Julie Lestrade never thought she would be going back to England. She never thought that she would run into the infamous Sherlock Holmes. And she certainly never counted on bringing him and her estranged brother into the nightmare world she lived in.
Relationships: Crowley (Supernatural) & Original Female Character(s), Greg Lestrade & Original Female Character, Sherlock Holmes & Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 3





	1. Homecoming

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie vowed to never return to England yet here she was. To make things worse, the rogue demon that she is chasing after is not the only problem she has to contend with. One Sherlock Holmes decides that she is the killer and follows after her.

I pulled myself to a stop at the corner, knowing that if I went any further, I would be caught. Seemed my brother had finally found a reliable body to work the cases that he couldn’t figure out. Unfortunately for the both of them, the murders that were beginning to pile up were not of any nature that they would be able to handle. It reeked for something supernatural, dark and evil. A level that I hadn’t dealt with in a long time. Swallowing down the worry that was constantly creeping into the back of my mind over the whole thing, I took a second to steady my breathing, appearing as normal as possible as I casually slipped into a crowd passing by.

Once I was sure that I didn’t have the detective on my tail anymore, I allowed myself to relax somewhat. I was on my own though I didn’t have to be. My brother would be no help. He never believed, never trusted. He hadn’t seen the things I had with his own eyes and as for his tall friend? Well, I had doubts the man had knowledge of anything that was outside his realm of experienced, of sensory knowledge. He wouldn’t think twice about the sort of creatures I encountered on a near daily basis. Fantasy, make believe, fairy tales. The words had been spit out more times than I could count but that didn’t make them any more real. People liked to be in denial about things that they were long taught were fake.

With a small groan, I collapsed onto my bed at the hotel and reached for the papers and books once more. I hadn’t exactly had luck on figuring out what the hell it was that I was dealing with. So, I was more or less in the same boat as the men working the case legally. Stretching out my legs, I cracked open the last book that I had been browsing through and continued to read upon the latest spirt. Nothing about the whole situation as sitting right with me. Too many variables were changing with each murder. It almost seemed as if it was multiple spirits tackling the murders. But that couldn’t have been possible. Sure, it wasn’t uncommon to encounter two or three that were all trapped together because death had bound them so. But five? That was a little much even for me. None of my friends stateside had been able to offer any advice. Even the Winchester boys. They had been as stumped as I had been. They had offered to fly out but I knew that they had their own messes to be dealing with so I had declined. I didn’t need them here.

No violent deaths in the area that sounded like any of the victims conditions. No connections between the victims, locations, schooling, work, hell even sins committed. There was nothing. With my brother hanging around the crime scenes, it was near impossible to get close enough to inspect them and pick up any traces of the supernatural. Most would have tossed in the towel and said it was just a super random, weird coincidence that these murders coincided but I knew better. It reeked of dark and evil energy. I just couldn’t put my finger on what it was.

Greg ran a hand over his face and let out a sigh. He was sick of explaining this to Sherlock. The man was supposed to be a genius after all.

“Listen, you can believe what you will. But anywhere that woman goes, trouble is sure to follow. It has always been that way. I know she isn’t connected to the murders though Sherlock. She doesn’t have it in her.”

“She is a rather peculiar woman though Graham. I mean, all the books and research on the spirit world and the supernatural.” The words came out as if they physically tasted bad. “Even Mycroft wasn’t able to find enough to make anyone comfortable. She may be your sister but how well do you really know her?”

“My sister is not a killer Sherlock!”

“Everyone is a suspect.” Greg ran a hand through his hair and let out a frustrated sigh. He was just done explaining things to him now. Sure they had never seen eye to eye and they hadn’t spoken in quite some time but that didn’t mean that her inherent personality had changed that much. No, she had always looked to help, to save. Never to harm. He wasn’t sure what he could do to prove to the man that she was no one of intent. Grabbing a hold of her was about one of his only options but he hadn’t been able to do that in years. He was fairly certain that she still harbored a lot of resent for him but that wasn’t anything that he needed to let himself dwell on.

I should have picked up on the signs, I had dealt with the bastards more than often enough in recent months. But he was covering his tracks really, really well. Impressively so. But that was also his downfall. Five murders, almost as if by five different beings. Things didn’t add up. Attacks like that didn’t happen that quickly, within such a short amount of time of one another. Even in a major city like London. I was piecing it together, sipping a cup of coffee when the chair across from me scrapped against the floor and a black blur sat down. I didn’t bring my attention up from the book I was scanning over.

“You would think that leaving the country would be enough of a deterrent. But then again, I shouldn’t be surprised should I? You aren’t one to give up easily.” Finally I glanced up to see the familiar smirk and amusement dancing in the hazel eyes. Though there was something else that often wasn’t there. Concern? Nah, he wasn’t capable of that unless it was focused on himself.

“Now, that isn’t anyway to greet me love. Especially when I am here to help.” I gritted my teeth and tried to keep from reaching for the demon blade that I had hidden in my jacket sleeve.

“I don’t want, nor need you help Crowley.” He just sat back, making himself comfortable in his chair.

“Oh but you do. And really, helping you benefits me. Chad has gone rouge you see and he is causing me more headaches than I care to go into detail about. Seems that he has been doing the same for you. You are going to need me on this one, whether you want to admit it or not. You are all alone here and he is amassing more and more power as we speak.” My eyes narrowed as he spoke. Of course his problem would become one of my own, in my own hometown, with my brother involved. Really. Hunters were never allowed nice things.

“What’s the catch here? You never offer to help without some sort of trade, even if it benefits you in the end.” The Winchesters had worked a bit more with Crowley than I had but the couple of meetings that I had had with the King of Hell hadn’t gone over well. We were often at each other’s throats. Not that anything less could be expected between a hunter and a demon.

“Can’t I just be a gentleman and offer a woman a helping hand?” I snorted and shook my head.

“Yeah, sure. And hell hounds are just sweet puppies who want to give kisses instead of tearing people limb from limb.” He looked mildly offended. “Look, you may have managed to get the Winchesters to rest a bit easier around you but I don’t trust you and I never will. You are a demon and frankly you are lucky that I don’t take you out right now. But I made a promise to the boys since they often need your help. I can handle this situation well enough on my own. Why don’t you run along back to the states like the good leashed demon you are and see what you can help them with huh?” Maybe I let my tongue run away a little bit. I didn’t miss the flash of red that came over his eyes but I didn’t offer an ounce of the discomfort that I was instantly feeling when I saw it. His jaw set and there was something that he clearly wanted to say but he just stood up and walked off, likely to zap away. Rolling my eyes, I shut my book and went to stand up only to have the seat across from me be taken up once again. This time by the man that I had seen at the crime scene the other day. This was the detective that was working with my brother. Just great. If I could have slammed my head against the table and gotten away with it I would have. This was the last thing that I needed to be dealing with.

“Lovely to finally meet the infamous Julie Lestrade.” I sighed softly and settled back into my seat, knowing I wasn’t exactly going to get out of here easily.

“You must be Sherlock Holmes. I take it Greg told you to find me?” He smirked and his eyes were quickly scanning me. I had suffered under the gaze of creatures much, much worse so I sat there, with a bored expression on my face. I had a demon to kill and this man was taking up precious time. If there was another murder, it was going to be on his head.

“Fascinating. Really, you are. You actually believe the stuff that you are reading don’t you?”

“Love you don’t know the half of it.” I smirked a bit and leaned forward. “You may be able to read people Mr. Holmes, understand patterns and capabilities. And for that I applaud you. Humans are the worst monsters of them all. But sometimes, in some cases, logic and intelligence doesn’t get you much of anywhere. People of belief aren’t as foolish as you think they are. You have no information on these murders, you cannot connect them and it is bothering you more than you care to admit. Thankfully you have me here to take care of your problem before anything else goes too far. Then I will disappear and be out of your hair.”

“And people think I am insane.” His head cocked to the side but I could tell he was interested. “I almost feel bad for you. Graham never seemed off in the head. Must be difficult for him to have a sister that is.” He was purposely going for a sore spot, I knew that but still it hurt. I wasn’t able to hide the slight signs of anger that flared upward but I quickly let them go.

“It’s better that he thinks that. He is safer that way. As are you all. Now, if you will excuse me, I have work to do.”

“You think I am going to let you go when you are the one who has been murdering these people?” I chuckled softly and shook my head.

“Yet you are not sure it is actually me so you are going to let me go. Because the chase is too thrilling for you.” Hunters worked the same way, I wasn’t foolish like some when it came to the way that human minds worked. I finally stood up. “Good afternoon Mr. Holmes. I doubt we will be seeing each other again after this.” A rouge demon. That was all I had to take care of and I would be leaving London for the states again.


	2. Older Brothers are the Worst

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie's plan change and she has a run in with someone who keeps a close eye on Sherlock.

The plans had changed when I realized that there were more things hanging around my hometown than what I had been lead to believe. It was nice to be home too, even if I was on my own and I no longer had even my hunting family to watch my back. They could always come visit for a change of pace but there was never going to be enough of a break where they felt comfortable leaving. A hunter’s job was never done after all. There was always another spirit, always another creature causing panic in the dark. Evil was around every corner in this world and we were the only ones who could handle it. It was on our shoulders to ensure that there was some sort of balance and that those who lived in an unaware bliss were able to continue doing so.

I hadn’t exactly stuck around London, knowing that I would likely have some more run-ins with my brother and with Sherlock Holmes. It was better to avoid that sort of confrontation. While I had left behind the evidence, the trail that would lead them to the appropriate individual even if said individual technically had no control over themselves, it wouldn’t ease the minds of any of them. The demon had been strong and I sort of regretted not taking up Crowley on his offer. A broken arm, some bruised ribs, and several stitched wounds later, I had managed to kill the demon and end the terror that the city was living in. The end of the case brought about my leave of London for the time being. I had headed up the coast, taken about a week to get some rest even if it wasn’t necessarily relaxing, before jumping in feet first to more cases. I stuck with the easier ones as I recovered. Salt and burns mainly, spirits that were restless but violent nonetheless.

It lasted a few weeks before I was brought back to London. Munching on a burger as I moved through the streets, I kept my eyes out for the kitsune. Not really an easy task considering unless they were on full display, they looked no different than any other random individual walking the streets. So far, there was no signs of any twitching ears hidden under hair, a quick swish of a tail concealed by clothing, or pupils that were more animal like than human. It was a pain in the ass to find one really. That was the way that London seemed to be welcoming me home though, with cases that proved to challenge me more than I liked to admit.

Tossing the burger wrapping into a nearby garbage, I was pulled to a stop, my eyes taken off my surroundings when a black car pulled up to the curb beside me and the door opened.

“Best get in Ms. Lestrade.” I cocked a brow and looked at the woman for a moment, assessing the situation quickly and trying to determine what level of trouble this was. She knew who I was and that rarely if ever tended to mean anything good.

“Cristo.” Her head cocked to the side slightly, her eyes finally lifting from her phone. Well, there was a safe bet that she wasn’t a demon. No black eyes, no flinching when the name of the Lord was spoken. That didn’t rule out any sort of involvement. Still could be looking at some sort of odd grouping, though nothing clung in the air and there were no obvious signs that were screaming out to my hunter instincts.

“Well?” Glancing around the busy streets, I got the distinct feeling that I wasn’t given much of a choice when it came to this decision. Still, I palmed the knife in my shirt sleeve. It was sort of a comfort mechanism at this point, as sad and unhealthy as that was. Well, to most normal people it would be.

“I don’t think so. See, I have a habit of not going anywhere with people I don’t know. Sort of a safety thing. The first lesson taught in life in fact. That whole don’t talk to stranger’s thing? Or did Mummy and Daddy skip over that lesson with you?” I took a step back from the car before presenting the smirk that I knew infuriated people. “Appreciate the attempt but there are other ways to corner me to talk. If your boss is up to the challenge. As of right now, I have business I need to finish taking care of so I must bid adieu.” There was a bit of a surprised look across her face that I had declined.

“It could be about your brother.” I nearly laughed and would have if I wasn’t being forced into keeping a straight face. Greg was at Scotland Yard, I knew that for a fact. And I knew that he was safe. I wasn’t going to make my presence known to the entire supernatural community in the damn country and not make sure that my remaining family wasn’t taken care of. A few favors were called in, ones that I had been holding onto for when I really needed them but his safety was more important than my own hide.

“If you are going to threaten someone, you might want to make sure that you know where to target and actually make a hit.” I shrugged as if the threat towards Greg didn’t bother me. I had to keep up the air of nonchalance for his sake. If he was known to be a weakness of mine, there was no amount of favors I could possibly store up to keep him safe. It was often why I didn’t go by my true surname. With a mocking wave, I continued to move onward. Clean car, business attire, a near distracted attitude. Not the usual outfit for the things that I tended to deal with. Even those that worked for Crowley weren’t that put together.

I had done my homework on Sherlock and knew of his brother. The man was buried pretty damn deeply into the government. One thing connected to another. The car was likely sent by the elder Holmes since I had already met the younger. If one didn’t trust me, the other certainly wouldn’t. It just so happened that the other one in question had many more resources to cause me some problems. I was going to have to play my cards right if I wanted to be able to disappear from London again after this case was all over.

Surprising as it might have been, my luck didn’t hold out. I could have cursed every deity that I knew existed in the moment when I was forced into the car with a gun to my back. The woman from before was there but some extra muscle came along to ensure that things went the way that I didn’t want them to this time around.

“Persistent bunch aren’t you?” She didn’t respond, continuing to look at her phone. Right, business. Supposedly. Rolling my eyes, I stretched out a bit in the car, ignoring the fact that it would likely annoy the others. If they were going to inconvenience me, I was sure as hell going to inconvenience them. I was half tempted to actually call Crowley just to see what would happen. The bastard would probably find some way to get back to me over it but if this meeting was going to go how I thought it was going to go, it might be worth it. A bottle of Craig sent to the Winchesters would smooth things over. Really for a demon, he was a bit easy to play now that he was involved with the famous duo.

I shook my head to bring myself back to the present. We pulled up to what appeared to be an abandoned warehouse, though it was less run down than the ones that I was used to spending time in. I chuckled softly at the thought and sat myself up a bit straighter before opening the door.

“Ah, home sweet home. Let me guess, in the doorway, down the hall several hundred feet, door on one of my sides that will lead to a smaller room where I will meet with whoever it is that wants to have a chat. Likely the eldest Holmes boy judging from the fact that I haven’t had a run in with him yet. Am I right?” A noncommittal grunt came from the man that gave me a shove while the woman just grabbed a hold of the door handle to pull it closed again. “No need to get rough just yet. I see the idea of gentlemanly behavior has gone out the door even at home.”

It took no time to reach the destined room and as I sat down, making myself comfortable in the thin, rickety chair that I could easily bust if I ended up tied to it, another door opened and in came a man that resembled Sherlock Holmes somewhat. Crossing my arms over my chest, I was careful to not reveal the weapons that I had on me.

“And to what do I owe the pleasure of attracting the attention of you Mr. Holmes? Your brother had a bit of a rant huh?” Sure I had done plenty to attract the attention of the police force, the government, maybe even Interpol. Seemed like a habit that was ingrained in all hunters. People didn’t understand our job, couldn’t even begin to so often we found ourselves in situations that were beyond compromising.

“Funny there are just isn’t too much information on one Julie Lestrade. Why do you suppose that is?” He was looking at me the way that his brother had, as if I was a challenge and a puzzle to solve.

“Maybe because Lestrade isn’t my last name.” I wasn’t foolish enough to think that he hadn’t run all my aliases. From his brother alone, and the knowledge of how brothers worked due to the Winchesters, his curiosity was surely peaked and ideas had been shared.

“Your brother already gave us the information that we needed when it came to your name. No need to lie. Now, what are you doing back in London? You had wandered off the radar for quite some time and I was rather hoping you would stay that way.”

“Business.” The answer was short and not what he wanted by the way that his fingers flexed around the umbrella that he was currently using as a cane. “As I am sure you know by now, I had no connection to those murders that happened near two months ago. From what I read in the papers, your brother ended up solving the case but the killer was found dead before they could find him. Some sort of internal trauma correct?” Exorcism did often have some nasty side effects for the vessels. It was often that I came across a demon who did not want to give up on the body that they had found and did damage to make sure that no one else could use it. Not even its rightful owners.

“You don’t have a job.” I mockingly held my hand over my heart. Alright, I had spent too much time in the states with several different hunters if I was picking up on habits of theirs that I would have never showcased before.

“I’m hurt you think so lowly of me. Just because I don’t have a nine to five or a twenty four hour occupation like yourself, doesn’t mean I am a lazy bum who sits on my arse all day. I have a very important job thank you very much. Which, I really need to get back to so if you have something important to say, I would get on with it.” He was clearly not used to being talked to the way that I was handling him. Tough shit. There was a kitsune out there harming people, getting more free time to roam while I was here handling with bullshit.

“I want you out of London. I have plenty of ways of making that happen if you chose to not heed the warning.” At that, I wasn’t able to contain my laugh.

“If you can manage to get rid of me, I will stay dead. But many better than you have tried and have failed. You have some big shoes to manage to fill Mycroft. I bid you the best of luck but I wouldn’t hold your breath.” I felt the gun dig into my side, not allowing my smirk to falter despite the situation. If I timed it right, I could have the man downed. Not that I wanted to but if he was going to continue to press the nozzle of the gun against my still occasionally sore ribs, we would have a whole other problem on our hands. “No need for some grand speech about eyes in the sky and birds hearing conversations. I understand you have eyes everywhere. But that should also open your mind up a bit and it hasn’t. I hope that nothing ever does, for you and your brother. I truly do.” I spun on my heel and began out of the room. That was not exactly the meeting that I had expected. Seemed that I threw both Homes boys off of their game a bit. It all worked to my advantage and I planned on keeping it that way for as long as I possibly could.


	3. Necessary Evils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sometimes, a hunter has to suck it up and deal with someone that they would rather gank because the situation calls for it.

To say my job had been much more complicated by the fact that I now not only had a brilliant detective following me but a man who more or less ran the government and had more access to an array of cameras was an understatement. I felt like I couldn’t go anywhere without being spotted. In London and outside of London. The Holmes brothers were quickly becoming a giant pain in the ass. There had been no contact with my brother, I had made sure to cover my tracks well enough that the whole situation was avoided. For his sake more than my own. Though my own cowardice was a major factor in that decision as well. My fear of what his reaction would be towards me, how he would handle it. Part of me felt that he would hate me still and I couldn’t face that. I didn’t have it in me. Years as a hunter had emotionally wrecked me. I could handle monsters, demons, any of them. Ask me to deal with anything that was personally emotional? There was not a chance that I could handle it.

I slid into one of the alleyways, letting out a small sigh as I felt the eyes finally peel off of me. I could feel them on me constantly, worse than any sort of ghoul or creature stalking me. It was exhausting to say the least. It wouldn’t be long before someone ended up coming upon me. I wasn’t allowed to be out of sight for more than a few moments. Judging by how quickly someone moved to find me, it made them uncomfortable when they couldn’t track me. It wouldn’t surprise me if one of the brothers came upon me rather than any sort of tail that they felt was a good idea. A joke really, considering that a human following me less than fifty paces behind at all times was something that was plenty easy to pick up on and occasionally not all that easy to drop.

“Know that you are used to some filthy locations but this is a bit much don’t you think love?” I groaned out loud, unable to help the sound that came from my mouth. There was no one else on the face of this planet that had worse timing than the King of demons himself. I glanced to my side to see Crowley leaning against the wall, casually looking down at his fingers as if he was bored. I pinched the bridge of my nose and closed my eyes in frustration.

“There is seriously no one else that you could be bothering at the moment?” It was like some kind of twisted form of torture he liked to indulge in with a soul that he had no claim over. Gathering myself, I tried not to allow my voice to raise any more than it already had. Attention was rather easy to draw from a busy street if I wasn’t too careful. It was what I was trying to avoid after all.

“I mean, there is a drunk laying right behind us that has soiled himself. The abandoned factories have a much better atmosphere.” He was completely ignoring my complaint. Not that it came as a surprising but it still annoyed me beyond belief. His entire existence tended to do that though. So it was nothing new. How the Winchesters put up with him was beyond me. They must be truly desperate when they call upon him.

“Is there a particular reason you decided to zap beside me today or are you here just to push my buttons for some sort of sick entertainment?” He smirked and remained silent for a few moments, barely taking the time to look around anymore.

“Word going around is you are having a problem shaking some unwanted attention. They must be persistent fellows to tail you around like that.”

“You would know wouldn’t you?”

“I see you haven’t lost an edge my dear.” I really didn’t have time to deal with his bullshit right now. The distinct voice of Mycroft was sounding out over the bustling life of the streets. Really, it was becoming insulting how little they thought of my intelligence. I had escaped from them both, well Mycroft it was more of a walking away sort of deal, but neither of them had been able to catch me since. One would think that I would manage to garner a little more respect and careful planning from them. Apparently, I hadn’t proven enough to them though. They would learn. Boys always took a bit longer but they would learn.

The phrase caught between a rock and a hard place never seemed more appropriate than right then. I was surrounded by bothersome men and now had to choose which one I wanted to deal with more. Only one option held any sort of mild control within my grasp so, I turned to Crowley.

“Give me your coat.” He cocked his head just a bit, looking mildly confused by the demand I had made. The wheels were turning but he wasn’t going to catch onto my plan until we were already enacting it.

“Excuse me?” The man was more attached to his clothing than he should have been. A personality quark that I had picked up long ago. A little disturbing really since I was less attached to my things. Then again, I really didn’t count as a normal woman so it was sort of a hard comparison to make there.

“Hand it over. We don’t have a lot of time.” I was already regretting the decision and cursing myself for the plan that had formed in my head. I would never live it down, it was something that would be held over my head forever. Literally forever seeing as I didn’t see Crowley dying any time soon. He was unfortunately just a little too crafty to allow it to happen. Compound that with the fact that my soul was likely to go downstairs rather than up, well it made it so that it would be an eternity of Crowley lording this very moment over my head. My stomach churned at the thought but there wasn’t a better option at the moment and he was the only one that I had with me.

He slipped his arms out of the longer coat, leaving him in his suit and reluctantly handed it over to me. I slipped it on over my own clothing, hiding the colors and type of material that the men would be looking for and with a quick flick of my wrist, let down my normally pinned hair. Long hair was a problem in my line of work and I tended to keep mine out of the way with a few tricks I had learned.

Fuck, I hated myself already and I hadn’t even seen through the whole thing. The fabric smelt of sulfur, cologne, some fire, and whatever alcohol that he tended to drink. I didn’t pay much attention. It was a whiskey or a bourbon. Nope wait that was a lie. He drank Craig. Well, seemed the Holmes boys were getting to me a bit more than I thought. Minus the sulfur, it wasn’t too horrendous a smell really. It could have been a lot worse. The alleyway we were in surely was a lot worse about twenty feet down, towards the passed out drunk.

“Would you care to explain to me what is going on and why you demanded to commandeer my good coat?” The voice was closer than ever which meant it was show time. Swallowing down hard and cursing myself out in every language I knew with every filthy word and insult that I could conjure up, I reached out and yanked the surprised demon to me before planting my lips against his. My head was tilted and halfway hidden behind his while his body blocked mine from view. Much to my rather enormous lack of surprise, Crowley went right along with the whole ordeal. His body was pressed hard against mine, no sign of any hesitation or unwillingness conveyed in his body language. His hands had my hips pinned to the wall, getting a little too into the kiss for my liking but then again, crossroads demon. It was sort of what they. did for a living. Not to mention, he seemed to look after anything that had two legs and moved, sort of like many of the hunters I knew. He was enjoying himself thoroughly, taking as much liberty as he could in the moments that he was given.

I could hear a disgruntled and disgusted sound being made from the entrance of the alleyway before a muttered phrase that included the name Sherlock came drifting to my ears. I risked a glance towards that direction to see the tails of the coat vanishing from view. I gave it a few more moments, before shoving the demon away. Peeling off his coat, I threw it back at him, not wanting to look him in the face. I knew the look there would be smug and cocky. A look that I would be tempted to smack off of his face. He was going to feel rather full of himself for a while and there was not a single thing that could be done to knock him down a peg about it. He would hold onto this moment and make sure that it was brought up at every possible opportunity he was around me and knew he would annoy me. I wanted to cringe to think about what was possibly going through his head during the moment.

“Well, that was rather unexpected but not wholly unwelcome. Could have been doing that a lot sooner if you were eager to make a deal love.”

“Shove it Crowley. Some shit is just a necessary evil.” I quickly worked to pin my hair back up before moving down the alleyway. “Speak of this again and I make it a personal mission of mine to ensure that you can never enjoy another female again.” The demon blade slid from my sleeve and I waved it threateningly at him though he didn’t seem the least bit phased by it. Perfect. Just perfect.

“Or just a right place, right time. Wouldn’t mind getting a repeat of that.” I hadn’t made it fifteen feet from him and it was already starting. Getting him to give it a rest was going to be impossible now. He was going to dog every footstep as much as the Holmes boys were doing.

“What do you like to say? Just business? There isn’t any way on Earth, in hell, or with those assholes from above that that is ever happening again. You just happened to be the better option than jumping into the dumpster.” More believable too. Both Holmes’ were rather uncomfortable around emotion and physical displays. They wouldn’t take too much of a second glance because of it, being the proper English gentlemen that they thought they were. “Now, just get out of here already. Don’t bother showing up at my motel. I made sure there were plenty of traps set up. Besides, wouldn’t want to dirty that suit of yours in such a lowly place now would you?” I continued to move, not wanting to deal with the man any longer. He had served his purpose for the day, as much as I would have rather avoided the situation all together. Next time I ran into one of the men, I was going to end up punching them in the face for making me kiss the King of Hell.


	4. Long Overdue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie finally has a run in with her brother, years in the making.

It was not an easy task moving around London without catching the attention the Holmes brothers. It seemed that half the time, my brother was with the younger of the siblings. Which just further complicated things. If there was one thing that I didn't want during my time in the city, it was a run in with my brother. I had expertly avoided it for weeks, spending a lot of time ducking down alleyways and swerving through some of the less than savory parts of London. I didn't plan on allowing the confrontation to happen. But it seemed that fate had other ideas and things were out of my control as they often seemed to be.

It might have been a bit nicer if it had been a random chance happening, the sort that happens in the movies. Where one bumps into the other and oh hey look, it is the long lost sibling. They hug, cry a bit, and all is forgiven. It was nothing like that. Not even close. Not that I thought it would have happened like that anyway but it could have been a bit nicer than what it actually turned out to be. I was caught at the wrong place at the wrong time, as it always seemed to happen. Cuffs were slapped onto my wrists and I was forced down to the station. Another murder, as it often tended to be when I had to get involved because the supernatural just loved to off humans like they were ants. This one though? Well, it was a little harder to explain. I was dealing with a shapeshifter. Every single hunter on the planet hated dealing with the slimy, face changing beings. They caused havoc wherever they went and it was near impossible to pinpoint anything. Someone always took the fall for them that was innocent. The thought never sat well with me. And of course, to add frustration and pain to the case, here I was sitting in an interrogation room, waiting for someone to come and talk to me.

The door opened and I heard a soft sigh coming from whoever it was before they stepped into the room. I didn't look up right away, my heart racing as I hoped that some sort of luck would hold out for me and that it wouldn't be my brother. The file fell to the table, the silence stretching out longer and longer, indicating one thing. It was Greg that was in the room with me.

After a few more moments of the unbearable quiet that was near suffocating, I finally forced myself to look up. He had aged but had aged well. The silver hair that seemed to grab a hold of all the men in our family looked good on him. As fit as a DI would be, he held himself with an ease though that didn't signal the law enforcement that I was used to in the states. He looked tired though, there were bags under his eyes and a weariness in his movements. Guilt ate away at me instantly. I was a cause of that. He didn't need to say it, didn't need to acknowledge it but I knew it. Being around was causing him problems. Pulling my eyes from him, I tried to fight back the tears that threatened to spill, swallowing thickly. After nearly ten years of not seeing one another, this was how it ended up coming to a head.

"Are you even going to say anything?" This wasn't about the police business that had me here. This was about us, the relationship between brother and sister.

"What do you want me to say?" My voice was much softer than it usual was and didn't hold an edge, the sort that was needed to handle the men and the creatures that I had to tackle on a daily basis.

"Something. Anything!" Flinching at the way that his voice raised, it was me that let out a sigh this time. There was a million things to say but this wasn't the right time. My fingers played idly with one another atop of the table as I thought about what I could say in this moment. I was being held here for murder, no matter what I said, there was a line drawn between us. Siblings or not, he had a job to do and I had mine. Which included protection of him at all costs. "Julie..." I slammed my hands against the desk and tried to hold back any sort of other reaction. It had him leaning down against the desk though, trying to catch my eye.

"It's not the time Greg. I know how you feel and I know that you have a job to do. I didn't kill that woman, despite how it looks." I didn't have anyone to back me or the story, knowing full well that it would be my word versus whatever evidence that they found. Unless I ended up getting out of custody, the shifter was going to kill more people. Who would have known that London would become a supernatural hub?

"You were there with blood on your hands. What are we supposed to think?"

"I found her like that. She was dead by the time I got to her room."

"You realize that is an excuse that is overused right?" As if I didn't know that. No one actually believed it even though it was the truth and not an excuse. "What were you even doing there?"

"I was friends with her cousin Mark. The one that died a couple weeks back." Mark was a hunter that I had come across a few weeks back, right before he had died. He had been a good man and had requested that I watch out for what family that he had left, which had been his cousin Sarah. When the news of a shapeshifter popped up, I had to stop in and check on the woman. It had been too late when I arrived, though I had gotten a hit or two in on the shifter, unable to pull the trigger quick enough to bury silver into his heart.

"I don't want to believe that my sister is a killer but you are making it hard to deny what is right in front of me." I gritted my teeth, trying to not allow his words to bother me.

"I am not. If I was lying to you, I know you would know it. And I know for a fact that Mr. Holmes would too." I nodded towards the two way glass. I wasn't foolish enough to think that the man wouldn't be close. He would have heard through some network that I had been brought in and would likely be positively gleeful over it.

Greg glanced back at the glass and it was the only indication that I needed that I had been right. He moved to sit down, deciding to ignore Sherlock and whoever else was behind the glass. He looked at me, less studying and more like he did when we were kids and had gotten into arguments. It made me want to squirm. He had always been one of the only ones who had been able to do that to me without a single word uttered.

"It's better if you didn't Greg. Just...just don't." I shook my head, bringing my eyes down once more. As much as it killed me to say the words, it was better if he just continued to hate me, to resent me, to do anything other than care for me. It was too dangerous for him. He frowned and decided to open his mouth anyway and air out whatever it was that had been weighing him down for a long time. Even if it was something that neither of us really wanted to do.

"You don't really get a say in that do you?" He was right, even if there wasn't a sting to his voice, any sort of heat, the words still hurt and I would almost rather have him shout at me than talk in such a level headed manner. Anger was easier to deal with than hurt and disappointment. "You left without a word, vanishing without a trace. Not a goodbye, not an I am going to be fine. I didn't know if you were dead, if you had made it to wherever it was that you were going. Then you show back up and all this trouble is following you. How do you think I feel having to sit in this room with you, speaking to you for the first time in ten years and you are in handcuffs?" I tried to grab something on the table, something to be able to help calm myself. The tears were burning, welling up and making it hard to see. I wouldn't be able to keep them from falling for forever. Clearly the ideas that I had clung to so desperately to be able to keep myself moving and functioning were so far wrong that it wasn't funny. Maybe he had been angry and resentful in the beginning but it wasn't that way now. It couldn't be with the way that he was speaking with me.

"Would it have mattered? You never believed me anyway. You would have fought with me to come home, to give up what my life has become." I spoke softly, not looking to cause a fight but knowing that what I was speaking was the truth. "I save lives Greg, always have and always will. You were safer without me around, not knowing, being kept at a distance." He scoffed and shook his head.

"I can hold my own. It's my job to protect you as a little sister." It was my turn to shake my head.

"But you can't from all of this Greg. As much as you may have wanted to, you couldn't and still can't. You know as well as I do, denying it or not, there are things out there that go bump in the night. That no one can be protected forever. But I will do my best to try. I couldn't lose you too, I still can't. I would rather you hate me and be alive than be my big brother and be dead." That was the truth. If he was alive and happy, whatever that entailed but hated me, then so be it. It was a sacrifice that I was willing to make because his life wasn't one.

"None of that is real. We can get you help Julie. Please." A tear finally dropped down my face as I leaned down to wipe them away, face coming to rest almost against the table. I took a few calming breaths before giving him a small, sad smile.

"There is no help, not the kind you want to give me Greg." His frown deepened.

"Why won't you let me help you?" His voice was pained and it nearly killed me. I needed a drink, several actually to help break up memories of this moment.

"Because I need you alive." It was a simple response and maybe he didn't understand it but it was the truth. The knowledge of him being alive helped me fight harder each time, feel for that family a little bit more than I may have without him, strive to continually be a better person hunter or not. Greg would always be my big brother and I would love him dearly but I couldn't have a relationship with him. Maybe this long overdue meeting would help him come to terms with that.


	5. Welcome to My Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie ends up involved in a hunt that proves to be a little more than she can handle. She gets some help from an unwelcome and unlikely source.

I let out a strong curse under my breath as my back hit the wall. It had to be a nest of vampires when I was out on my own. Older, powerful vampires. And they knew their way around a hunter. Meaning that they had run into more than one of us before. Blood was on their hands and it tightened my chest, boiled anger in blood. I was going to make sure to destroy every ounce of their nest and of their existence around this town. Gulping down the air into my abused lungs, I worked to calm myself and ready for the next confrontation. There was a pouch of dead man’s blood in my pack along with a couple of knife. The gun sat at my side, just to slow them down a bit. Six against one were odds that never worked in anyone’s favor, whether I knew how to stop them or not. My fingers readjusted their grip on the blade that was in my other hand before I took off once more. Picking my way among the trees, it was hard work to not trip over my own feet with all the underbrush that was littering the forest floor. I could hear one of them closing in, laughter echoing in my ears and in the empty space surrounding us. This was not the way that I was going to go down. Not from some blood suckers. No, no that was much too weak an exit for me. I wanted something stronger, something far worse to end it if this was going to be how it ended. I wanted hunters to talk about it for years to come, my death to become legend and lore. A bit selfish sure but those sort of thoughts also helped fuel my movements, keep my mind sharp. It was a motivation sort of drill, not allowing me to succumb to the inevitable when it seemed like I had no other option.

I stumbled through into a clearing and whirled around, blade out and gun held up. I near snarl, more animalistic than I thought I was capable of, tore from my lips as I watched two of the women approach. Each wore matching, amused and malicious grins. There was nothing but evil intent in their eyes as they stalked forward, teeth exposed to the world.

“You think I am going to let you take me down that easily? If I am going down, I am taking your whole nest with me.” They laughed and didn’t stop their trek.

“Hunters are so adorable. Thinking that they are better and can outsmart us. I wonder if she will be as tasty as the last.”

“Oh, how he pleaded for mercy, I can still hear it now. Please, don’t. I won’t say anything, I won’t kill another vampire.” The anger grew as they spoke so casually about another human life, another hunter that had fought just like I had, that had likely sacrificed everything in their lives like I had.

“Enough talk. You want to kill me, I would like to see you try. Let’s get this over with.” Before another one of them could step forward, I heard a shot ring out. It wasn’t from my gun. If there was another hunter behind me, I was going to welcome them with open arms. If it was anyone else, well I was going to be more than upset and focused on getting them out alive rather than taking down the remaining vampires. Civilians always threw a monkey wrench into the plans and made things twice as difficult as they needed to be.

My luck seemed to be holding its downward trend when I looked over my shoulder and saw the form of Sherlock standing there. The man would have followed me here.

“Bad idea Sherlock. Back it up right now.” The one he had hit pulled herself off the tree that she had been leaning against. Holstering my pistol, I reached for the pouch of blood in my pack and immediately lathered my blade in it. The two seemed a little more leery of stepping forward seeing the action. I made my way back to stand beside Sherlock, unsure where the others were at the moment and I didn’t need them taking him to get my attention.

“What do these women want to kill you over?”

“Oh, the usual. Found their nest, threatened their leader, and killed one of their friends. Now, I don’t really have time to an explanation if you want to make it out of this alive. Listen and listen closely.” When one of them stepped too close, I hurled the blade and my aim was true. It hit dead center of her chest, the blood acting immediately. The other shriek and tried to step forward but I shot at her skull, temporarily giving us a few more seconds. “You are going to run alongside me and keep up. I am going to give you a blade covered in dead men’s blood. Anyone comes at you, you stab them with it until I say it’s safe not too alright? She isn’t going to stay down for long, friend there or not so we have to get moving.” He seemed confused as I tugged another knife and coated it before handing it over. He took it nonetheless and we began to move before breaking out in a run. I wanted to head back and finish off the vampire but the man beside me was now a more pressing concern.

“Tell me you are here alone.”

“No, your brother insisted on coming.”

“Son of a bitch.” Greg wouldn’t let things go. “You are both absolute morons. If there is a single hair on his head harmed because you were a fool to follow after me, there will be hell to pay Sherlock.” I grunted out the words as we continued to run, dodging among the trees. Everything was going according to plan for the most part until I was tackled to the ground. The familiar hiss and gnashing of fangs together told me that I had a vampire tackle me. I swung my own blade but it missed its mark. I was tired and my movements were getting sloppy. I bucked and rolled my body, fighting with the creature before I heard it gasp. Sherlock was above the both of us, blade in hand. It had entered the back of the vampires neck, severing the spine and infecting him with the blood. Pushing off the dead weight, I made sure to cleanly severe the head before giving him a nod of thanks.

“That shouldn’t be possible.”

“Yeah, well it is. Welcome to my world. Things that go bump in the night are real. We don’t have time to this right now. We need to keep moving. There are the two girls we left behind and another three of them out there.” I winced, feeling like my ribs were thoroughly bruised from how hard the body had landed against mine. That was going to make running difficult but it was a matter of life and death. I could suck it up. Plus there was Greg that I had to worry about. “Lead the way back to Greg. Now.”

We didn’t run into any more vampires on the way back to the car where Greg was pacing up and down, muttering to himself, a cigarette hanging from between his lips. I was relieved more than I could put into words to see him there, even angry and agitated. He was alive and well. I ran a hand through my hair and doubled over for a moment, taking deep breaths to try and calm my breathing down.

“In the car now. The both of you.” The words came between pants, ordering them though it appeared I was in no shape to do so. “They followed us here. Before they decide it’s safe to attack, let’s go.”

“What are you talking about?”

“It would be smart to listen to her Graham. Get into the car.” I was thankful that Sherlock was not putting up a fight. It meant that Greg would be less likely to.

“What is going on?” I moved forward and shoved him towards the car, impatience rising as well as the hairs on the back of my neck.

“In. Now.” There was no room for arguments as the twigs snapped behind us. I spun on my heel, making sure that my body was shielding my brothers.

“She brought us another few meals. How generous of her.” I stepped forward and brandished the blades that I had left.

“You aren’t touching them.”

“It’s adorable that you think you have any choice in the matter. If you weren’t a hunter, I would consider turning you. You would make one hell of a vampire.” I snorted and kicked behind me at the car to get them moving. I could handle the three that had appeared. I would have to. They didn’t have anything that would do any damage to them, they would just put themselves in danger. I would be concerned with them over my own actions so, it would be better for all parties for them to get out of the area.

Immediately, we launched at one another. He moved to swipe the knife out of my hand but I managed to avoid the majority of the blow, gritting my teeth as my arm tried to bend in an unnatural direction. I lashed out with my other hand, the punch not doing much but enough to get him to stagger back for just a moment. The other two were closing in around me and didn’t leave me a lot of time to recover and prepare for another attack.

Another shot rang out and I watched as one of vampires dropped to the ground, gasping and writing in pain. I didn’t have time to look over my shoulder. They had stayed but right now, I couldn’t worry about it. Managing to nick a second on the arm, not enough to down her but enough to slow her down enough that I could focus on the bigger man that was coming back at me. Another shot but I wasn’t sure who or where it hit.

“You are going to die. I am personally going to make sure that your nest doesn’t survive.”

“You’re just a human, what do you think you could possibly do.”

“This.” I spun out of his hold and lunged forward, burying my blade into his thigh. It stopped him and made him fall to his knees. His eyes were already hazy and closing as he tried to fall forward and bite me. The three that had appeared were all laying on the ground, incapacitated or now. Glancing backwards, I saw Sherlock lowering his gun. Greg was doing the same. The brunette held up my pack.

“Bullets seem just as effective when they are dipped in the blood.” I nearly laughed but didn’t have it in me right then.

“Let’s finish these three off. There are still another two we have to worry about.” I turned my blade to the male in front of me, quickly carrying out my work. I wasn’t going to be getting help from either of them it seemed as neither of them made a move to come over to me. Greg looked a bit shaken but Sherlock was oddly calm about the whole thing. Then again, he could be internally freaking out inside and not showing it externally. There was no coming back from this, they knew what was out there. I now had to worry about Greg more but also deal with Sherlock and what sort of chaos that his mind could create with the new possibilities that lay in front of him. As if my life wasn’t complicated enough.


	6. Demon Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Crowley tends to have the worst sense of timing.

It was a complete understatement to say that I had been unhappy with the fact that Sherlock had involved himself. To say that I was furious about the fact that he had managed to drag my brother into it was a massive understatement. I had fumed about it the entire car ride back to my car. A few choice words were said, mainly aloud since I was not dealing with the fact that everything I had worked so hard up until now to maintain and prevent was being thrown out the window because someone couldn’t keep to themselves.

After a day or two, I had cooled down somewhat and was sitting in the same damn place I had been for the past two days. I had not left my brothers flat, but to keep an eye on him here and there. Sherlock had passed by twice but I had fully ignored him, refusing to let him in. I knew that I would need to talk to him about everything that happened and what actually went on out in the world but I wasn’t in good enough space to be able to handle that. Thankfully, no pesky demons had stopped in to cause the trouble to be worse and right now, supernatural activity seemed to be at an all-time low. It wouldn’t last but I was thankful that luck was on my side for once and that I wasn’t worrying about saving people when I was figuring out how to save my brother.

Greg came home later than usual but I was up, jotting notes down in my journal while referring to a new book. A couple things were already ready but I still had to handle the hex bags in his flat, the anti-possession charm that I had to get him to wear, and a couple demon traps. It may have made me seen paranoid to them but they really didn’t understand the scope of what they had stepped into. I barely looked up from my book, muttering a hello before I heard a second person following behind Greg. That got my attention quick, head snapping up only to see Sherlock. He was observing me carefully, a thoughtful expression on his face. Rolling my eyes, knowing that for the time being there was nothing that I need worry about, I went right back to work on figuring out how I could make sure that Greg wasn’t tracked. The texts were complicated and were calling for a few things that I knew I couldn’t get my hands on, let alone actually preform them. I was going to need to enlist some help and that was a whole other subject that I really didn’t need to be broaching at the moment. One incessantly, overbearingly annoying man at a time.

“What are you working on?” I ignored the comment, knowing that he was going to come and look over my shoulder anyway. If he could read Latin, more power to him. Scribbling down another couple of notes, I let out a slow breath and closed my eyes. He was too close for my liking and it was grating on my already shortened and frayed nerves when it came to the man. Scrubbing a hand over my face and leaning back in the chair, I thought that perhaps it was time for me to transition onto the easier things to get down. The traps for instance. Yes, the traps were a good idea. Grabbing some chalk from my bag, I moved over towards the windows to begin. There were several areas in the house that I was planning on drawing traps.

I could feel the curious eyes on me as I worked, making sure that my symbols were right and that no one was going to break through them.

“What are you doing now?”

“Devil’s traps. Keeps demons contained until they can be exorcised.” Greg’s brow furrowed and I couldn’t tell if Sherlock looked disturbed by the subject or delighted.

“Demons?”

“What? You’ve seen vampires with your own eyes and you are going to tell me that you don’t think demons actually exist?” I barely looked at them over my shoulder before moving on to the door. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad an idea to actually summon one for them to see. Shaking the thought off, I focused on the mumbling that the men behind me were doing. Part of their minds were still trying to deny what was before their eyes. A normal reaction for most people really. Yet, they were listening to me and thinking me crazy less and less. Greg shouldn’t have been difficult to convince, he had been faced with something like this before. He just chose to ignore it and think that these things didn’t exist.

“Next you are going to tell me that there is an actually heaven and hell.” I remained silent, allowing them to gather what they would about that. There was after all, though I hadn’t seen either. “You can’t be serious.”

“As the day is long. Have friends who have been there.”

“You have friends?”

“Shut it Greg.” There was no stopping the smile that came to my face at the familiar jab that came from my brother. It seemed that some things would never change.

A knock on the door pulled us all out of our musings. Cocking my brow, I signaled for the two to stay back just in case something were to happen. Almost everything was in place as much as they could be. Cracking the door open, I found a familiar black coat staring at me.

I had never been so happy to see a dead body on the doorstep. Well not quite dead but soon to be if I had my say. He would be the perfect example, even if I was going to end up having to put up with whatever crude comments he sent in my direction. Hiding the smirk that wanted to crawl across my face, I had to pretend that I didn’t want him here. And hope that he wasn’t reading my mind.

“What are you doing here?” I staged whispered to him, trying to make it seem like I didn’t want the others to know about him.

“Why wouldn’t I come find you love? Been a bit since we had a nice chat. I hear something about a brother of yours?” A true flare of anger rose up at the comment.

“You have my attention.”

“Aren’t you going to be kind and let me in or am I going to have to force my way in?” I let out a small noise of frustration, pretending to be wholly upset about the prospect before finally sliding open the door and stepping aside. Two steps in and he was stuck.

“I expected you to be a bit more prepared Crowley.” Greg and Sherlock watched on quietly. “You really thought I wouldn’t have this place protected? Maybe you have been spending a bit too much time with the Winchesters. Dean might be rubbing off on you.”

“It’s the mat isn’t it?”

“It’s the mat.” He rolled his eyes and held his hands out to the side.

“Alright, what is you want this time?” I knew I fully had the attention of the men behindus. So, I had to play this carefully if I didn’t want it backfiring. Crowley was tolerant but only to a certain degree. He was still a demon, still the King of Hell, and a dangerous being. I closed the door and bring him a chair, carefully setting it within the confines of the mat so that he was able to sit down.

“Might want to make yourself comfortable. We could be here awhile.”

“I have places to be, souls to torture, and demons to command. How long is this going to take?”

“You worried the wonder duo is going to call you and you won’t be able to answer?”

“For once, I am serious about being busy Julie.”

“King of Hell has business meetings again? Things not so smooth going in paradise?”

“For your information, Lucifer reared his ugly head again so no.”

“Of course he couldn’t stay away. Alright then, we’ll make this quick.” I jerked my thumb to the two behind me. “These two decided to involve themselves. One of the right is my brother. One on the left is brother’s friend and key detective. Lefty is a bit skeptical of this all. You wanna give him a little proof that you are a demon?” His head cocked to the side a bit as he studied me, trying to follow this train of thought and where it was going to get him. He remained quiet, a sure sign that he wasn’t all that willing to cooperate at the moment. Fine, that was something that I could handle.

“Right then. Down to business it is. I let you out of the trap, leave you in your current meat suit, and don’t shove a demon blade up your ass. Your end of the bargain? You keep demons off of their asses, they are protected. I know it won’t maintain safety from everything but I would rather like to worry less about your minions than I do all the other things that go bump in the night.” I knew that he wouldn’t be able to keep all the demons off our back. Plenty liked to go rouge and plenty liked to think that he shouldn’t be the one sitting on the throne. But if this took down the majority of them, then it was worth it.

“My soul isn’t involved in this deal. Am I understood?” He rolled his eyes before settling on smirking once more. That told me all I needed to know about what was coming next.

“There was no need to strike a deal to be able to kiss me again love.” He was going to the death of me, in one form or another. My knuckles turned white as I reflexively gripped my blade a bit tighter.

“You are lucky that I need you around, otherwise I would say fuck the deal and just end it all right here.”

“Time is wasting Julie and I do need to get back. So, are we going to seal the deal?” I groaned before stepping forward and sealing my lips over his. Allowing all of four seconds, I immediately pulled back and leaned down to cut a line in the mat, breaking the trap. “As always, pleasure to do business with you darling. But I must be getting back to hell before I find that troublesome fallen angel back on my throne.” I wouldn’t stop him if that was the case. The monster we knew was better than the unknown force. Crowley could be reasoned with and he looked out for his own self-interest which at times, benefited some hunters. Mainly the Winchesters but it was still a benefit. Motioning with my hand that he was free to go, I took my eyes off of him, not wanting to deal with anything else that might have been seen in his eyes as he looked at me. He was impossible.

I heard a disgruntled sound from behind me when Crowley snapped his fingers and disappeared. Well, more like two disgruntled noises.

“So demons are real….”

“What did he mean again?” I was not at all shocked to find that my brother was more concerned with my interactions with Crowley while Sherlock was soaking in the new information and processing it quicker than what I would be able to keep up with.


	7. Ignorance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie explains to Sherlock why it is better than the world doesn't know about the things that go bump in the night.

It had been a few weeks since Sherlock and my brother had stepped into my business. Crowley had kept his end of the deal up as far as my knowledge went and that eased my mind just a bit. It was one less worry to have to contend with. And there were plenty of them when it came to Sherlock. I didn’t know how my brother kept the man on any sort of leash. He was utterly and completely impossible to deal with. Now that he knew of the world that he had long thought of as nonsense, he was delving into information and throwing himself headlong into situations where knowledge didn’t outweigh experience. Sure he was smart, scarily smart but smarts doesn’t always do you a lot of good when it was a Wendingo or Djinns. It was experience that helped with those sort of thing. They were quick and tricky, prayed on humans for survival. Djinns in particular were driven less on instinct and more on their intelligence. They were not a creature that one wanted to find themselves against alone too often. So, instead of my time being spent handling my own cases and making sure my brother was the one that remained out of trouble, I had to keep yanking Sherlock back like a misbehaved dog.

One or two times he did surprise me and managed to get himself out of some sticky situations. And I did grant him that humans were more often than not far worse to deal with. Plus the fact that he would have been ten times over if he wasn’t able to retain and call upon the knowledge the way that he was. But still, my focus had to be on the misadventures that he got himself into more often than not. It kept the relationship between the two of us strained. Though, I supposed that didn’t come as a surprise. I was a hunter after all. Relationships, whether it was supposed to be platonic or romantic, never went all that well. It seemed that he had just as hard of a time though it was more because of his person than anything else. Greg would always roll his eyes if we got into it, shouting at each other and causing a general scene wherever we were.

The one benefit of all of this? John seemed to keep a level head. Oh yes, he was in on it too. How could he not have been when Sherlock was traipsing off everywhere in search of his next discovery? John was a loyal as the day was long and it didn’t take all that proof for him to be acknowledging what had to smack the other two men in the face. He was always fairly calm and collected, helping to keep Sherlock’s head on his shoulders. Both figuratively and literally at times. He kept those sort of things out of his stories as well, another thing that I was thankful of. Though he was likely doing it to make sure no one thought them crazier than they were. They certainly garnered more attention from people than I could have assumed. If it wasn’t for him, I might have offed Sherlock myself before some other creature managed to do it.

***************************************

We were stuck in 221B, having a familiar argument. John was quietly sipping his tea, eyes moving back and forth between the two of us.

“Sherlock, you do not understand what you are asking for!”

“I know full well what it is that I am requiring of others.”

“You barely think them capable of understanding their lives as they are now. How the hell can you expect them to accept all of this? Of being capable of understanding and accepting all of this. You aren’t talking about someone understanding a case the way that you do, seeing the world the way that you do. You are asking people to completely understand and accept their lives being flipped on their head.”

“Living in ignorance has helped no one!” We always had this argument after a person had passed. I hated when it happened but had become a bit more accustomed to it in my line of work. It was a minimal number when it came to my history compared to some other hunters. Maybe that had to deal with the considered limited number of years that I had been a hunter or maybe it had something to do with the fact that I was pretty damn efficient at what I did. Either way, it wasn’t something that he was used to dealing with and he had a hard time accepting the fact that sometimes, people died, that we failed to capture the thing that was wreaking havoc before it harmed someone else. He hated the fact that he was bested more than he was with his human opponents. It was a whole new realm.

After every incident, he insisted that we revealed to the public what actually went bump in the night. He felt that even those with a low IQ would be better off armed with the knowledge of what was out there, that there were things that they could do to help protect themselves. I don’t think he fully comprehended what that meant, what he was asking of people. I had seen what the knowledge did to people, to families. I stared at the result in the mirror every day. As did just about every other hunter there was out there. We were all products of a harsh reality check, personally or through a loved one. And our lives were never the same. I would never wish that on anyone. I had had about enough of the argument when I pointed a finger towards his jacket.

“Get on your damn jacket and follow me.” I moved off towards the door, intent on proving my point.

“You can’t get out of this argument…”

“Do as you are told for once and follow me.” He shut his mouth and studied me for a moment before agreeing. Clearly I had enough of his curiosity caught seeing as I had all but cut an argument off at the knees without storming off and muttering about him being pigheaded and stubborn. As per the usual end of our arguments. John sat in his chair, unmoving though there seemed to be a hint of a smirk on his face. He often sided with me when it came to this subject and I wonder if he knew what I was about to do.

It took us about ten minutes to walk to the park. There were plenty of children running around with gleeful looks on their faces as laughter echoed out through the park. Men and women alike were jogging, bike riding, walking and talking, enjoying each other’s company without a care in the world. It was a typical scene for the park but the exact thing that I needed for my argument. We came to a stop on the sidewalk alongside the entrance of the park. He sent me a mildly irritated glare as he didn’t yet understand what my point in dragging him here was.

“What are we doing here?”

“Take a moment to observe. Don’t read anything, don’t deduce anything. Just take in the emotions of what is happening around you.” It was a difficult task to ask of the man but I knew what I was doing. Surprisingly, he listened to me and was silent for several long moments before he sighed and I knew that he would need an explanation. I gave it a few more seconds.

“Are you going to explain what your point in this is?” He wasn’t fond of children that much I knew but they were the key part of this whole thing.

“This,” I sighed, sweeping my arm through the air. “This is what ignorance does.” I let that thought sink for a moment as he put together the pieces in his head. Maybe it was a bit slower than what I had expected but he was rather poor when it came to proper human interactions and emotions. I ran a hand through my hair before sighing again.

“Children are playing, their innocence and positive outlook on life intact. Men and women walk without a care, not worried if something is about to jump out of the bush at them. There is a concern about whether the person they are talking to is the actual person they think it is. Yes there are fears of the dark and while we know it is rational, that is something that they can outgrow. They live in ignorance but in this case it is very much a bliss. There are no worries or concerns about things with razor sharp teeth or beings that they can’t protect their children from. The weight of those terrible things that happen that are out of their control is not on their shoulders. They are able to live their lives, experience joy and happiness without a constant pressing concern about when their loved one will be so violently ripped from them. They don’t lose sleep at night wondering if the creak in their house is going to kill them and their family. They can sleep comfortable at night when their child is tucked tightly into their bed. Every worry, every ounce of paranoia, every second of an accelerated heart rate isn’t experienced by them. They do not have to live in fear. That, that is what ignorance does for these people. It allows them to live Sherlock. It allows them to not shut down, to allow loved ones near. Hell, it allows them to have loved ones.” He was quiet during my entire speech, taking in what I was saying and looking around. I hoped that my words were sinking in and he was beginning to understand what sort of trauma he could do by trying to get people to understand what the world around them was really like.

“Their worries are normal, human worries. How could you possible begin to take that away from them? Just to warn them of something that they might never experience? Explain the unexplained and people panic, people turn against each other and those beings that wished to harm them. Things around here get real ugly real quick. There are creatures out there that are not harming a single person. What of them? They are hunted down and killed under a sickening mob. Knowledge is a powerful thing but it is not always positive Sherlock.” Still, no response from him as he contemplated the mouthful that I had given to him.

“So you forfeit all of those things yourself to keep them protected?” I nearly winced but nodded my head despite not wanting to acknowledge that fact.

“If I can keep one of them from understanding the true horrors of what is out there, then it is worth it. Children deserve to be children and just because I can’t have something like a couple out there doesn’t mean that no one should be able to. It is a sacrifice that I am willing to make. The world was thrust upon me and instead of hiding, I took up the fight. For them. It’s worth it.” He made a noise in the back of his throat that sounded almost like he was agreeing with me. I hoped for my own mental well-being that he was. I couldn’t take many more of these sort of fights. Hopefully my message was sent loud and clear and this could be avoided in the future. Sometimes ignorance really was bliss.


	8. Tolerance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Julie has to remember not all her problems had can solved with physical action.

All things considered, I figured that I had a pretty damn good tolerance for annoying people. I mean, I put up with a lot of things throughout the day, from humans and non alike. Not that it was easy but I had grown a pretty damn good skin and mental barriers. That wasn’t to say that no one was able to break through. And I was finding that happening a bit more having to deal with Crowley and the Holmes brothers. Mycroft and Sherlock were incessant. I had a whole new found respect for my brother and what he put up with day in and day out trying to do his job and wrangle the youngest. Both together though? That was a whole other level of management that I wasn’t sure anyone on the face of the planet was capable of. Add in an annoying as all hell demon and things that wanted to eat you and well, I thought I was doing pretty damn well.

I had just managed to banish Crowley from the small flat that I had gotten when in stormed both Holmes brother and Greg. I cocked a brow as they all looked a bit flustered. Mycroft and Sherlock were bickering back and forth and Greg looked a little exasperated. Frowning, I closed the door behind them and moved to grab a hold of Greg to figure out what it was that had suddenly burst into my living space. The two were in their own little world and didn’t notice us having our own private sibling chat.

“Would you like to explain to me why it looks like I have world war three happening in my living room right now?”

“I’ve lost track of where their argument has gone. It started out on some case that Sherlock wanted to bring to your attention but Mycroft had to step in and try to deny it.” Great, that was just great. It likely meant that it was something that was known about but certain people wanted it kept quiet. Pinching the bridge of my nose, I let out a small sigh and worked on processing what it could be before I even had information.

“And do you happen to have details about the case that he wanted to present?”

“Oh yeah, yeah.” He rummaged around in his coat for a moment before pulling forward his phone and shoving it under my nose. Pictures of the crime scene, lab work, and documentation were top class. I gave him an appreciative look before looking over it all carefully. Bodies missing, others having dropped dead. It was odd but not out of the realm of possibility. I understood the need on Mycrofts part to cover it up to avoid absolute mass hysteria by the public. Something like this could be played off as viral or infectious but that caused a public uproar and people became more paranoid. It was difficult to deal with. At the same time, it wasn’t like this was something that he could sweep under the rug. Mycroft might have still been a skeptic but this reeked like something supernatural. As I read more, my guess was on demons. There had been a bit of a stir lately and from the grumpiness that came in the form of Crowley, it was clear that he was having an issue in Hell. So we had unwelcome mass possessions, not that they were ever actually welcomed, dead bodies for whatever reason and demons on the loose doing whatever it was that they wanted. It was a recipe for disaster.

“This is a mess.”

“I know.” The brothers were still arguing, though it was over something that was far from the case by the sounds of it. I was fairly certain I heard something about a dog being mentioned.

“Do they always bring up fights they had as children?”

“More often than you would think possible.”

“Thank whatever being that is deciding to watch over us today that we don’t fight like that.” Though, running away and not talking for the better part of fifteen years ranked pretty damn high up the list. He snorted a bit which finally seemed to catch the attention of the other two. “Ah, nice of you to notice my presence in my flat gentlemen.” Sherlock rolled his eyes while Mycroft had the decorum to look mildly ashamed. His manners were a bit more polished given his position in the government than Sherlock's but I was not fooled into thinking that any of it was actually genuine.

“You’ve looked over the evidence.” Mycroft let out a mildly disgruntled sound at the comment from Sherlock. “Tell me what you think we are dealing with.”

“Something that I need to be looking further into, that much is obvious. I understand your concern for public safety and to keep the masses calm Mycroft but this smells exactly like something that you can’t really sweep under the rug. Come up with whatever excuse you want to use this time but you aren’t keeping me off of this.” Sherlock looked mildly pleased with himself that he has supposedly won the argument when I agreed that it was something that needed to be looked into.

“Thirteen bodies just laying dead on the floor when they had been conducting business moments before is not something that you need to be looking into. This is a matter for myself and my business associates.” It was my turn to snort when he spoke.

“I get you think that you know everything because you are the government Mycroft. But, there are more things in heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in your philosophy.” I heard Sherlock laugh as I quoted Hamlet back at the man. I could see him bristling, not appreciating the tone and how I was handling the matter with him. I was not at all dissuaded from the matter at hand though. If Mycroft wanted to go tit for tat, I certainly would do my best to handle it. Greg was watched one again the back and forth, though this time, a small smirk was settled onto his face. Maybe because he knew that I was going to do everything in my power to win, that this was something that needed to be handled by myself and that Mycroft needed to be put in his place. Surely the man belittled and ridiculed my brother in between his argument with Sherlock. That was the way that he operated. Well, how his mind worked. Sometimes I pitied the Holmes brothers and being stuck with a mind that didn’t allow them rest, didn't allow them to see the world the way that almost every other person on the planet saw it. I understood how that felt most days.

“I don’t think you get a say in this.” He was going to try and pull rank. There wasn’t a lot that we could do about that if he decided that was what he was actually going to do. Unfortunately, I had no authority and my brother was just a DI for the Yard. I rolled my eyes and stepped forward a bit so we weren’t shouting in the smaller space.

“So then will I get a say when another thirteen bodies drop? And then another thirteen go missing? What will the government be able to say then that won’t incite a panic? Twenty six randomly dropping dead while thirteen bodies so missing without a trace. I would say even I would have a hard time covering that one up and I have almost as many years of experience as you do with way less restrictions.” I ran a hand through my hair and let out a small sigh. “What you have on your hands is something that you nor the government is used to handling. At least on a regular basis. As much as you loathed to admit it, I am the expert here and what we have are things that can’t easily be taken care of. You give me some time and I will have the problem solved. It’s a simple as that. Or I can wait until you come back with your tail tucked between your legs because your pride and your unwillingness to accept the facts before you got in the way of allowing you to ask me for help.” Sherlock and Greg had backed off a bit now.

“That is simply something that cannot be done. My colleagues and I are perfectly capable of handling this situation with our resources. Your so called expertise is not needed nor wanted. I do not know how you managed to drag my brother into this mess but you will not get me to believe a single word out of your mouth.” I shook my head and stepped back into the kitchen for some water and to try to give myself some time to cool down. It would be no good getting into a heated argument with the man because he would win. I had to control my emotions. Mainly the anger that came from the stubbornness of the eldest Holmes.

Greg crept in after a moment.

“You alright.”

“Yeah I’m fine. Just letting myself take a second to cool down. A hot trigger finger is never helpful.” He chuckled softly and nodded.

“Guess you are right. What are you going to do to convince him to hand over the case?” I shrugged.

“I don’t know. You see how long it took yourself and Sherlock to believe what I was saying. I don’t know if he ever will, even if we throw things right at him in the face.” I glanced back towards the living room with a small huff. “Are you sure I can’t punch him in the face?” It was almost an age old request at this point. Mycroft would irritate me enough to make me want to deck him with his bullheadedness. And hunters typically didn’t have great self-control when it came to other humans. Greg let out an overly exasperated sigh and grabbed me by the shoulders.

“Yes.” He shook me a bit. “I have told you a hundred times over that you can’t get away with that.”

“What if I just break his nose a little?” An eye roll from my brother. “I am sure it is something that Sherlock would appreciate. And what he is going to do? Have me arrested? He would be too embarrassed at having his nose broken by my tiny self to do a damn thing.”

“It is still not allowed. Who knows what sort of punishment the man could set up? You really think that he would let you off without any sort of retaliation? Maybe it is your head that we need to get checked out this time.” I brushed his hands off of my shoulders and squared up a bit.

“My head is perfectly fine thank you. Sometimes I think I am the only sane one left on the planet. And I can promise you I am much, much more sane than most other hunters out there. You have no idea what sort of off their rocker people you could be dealing with.” At that, we both looked towards the living room. “Alright so maybe you do but that isn’t the point. Even if he won’t give me this case, I can’t let something like this slide. I will look into it.” I ran a hand over my face.

“And I just got Crowley out of here. Damn you and damn him. You owe me some pizza and a movie night for what I am going to have to do.”

“Does it have to be him?”

“He’s the one running Hell and it seems like we have a demon problem on our hand. He is going to be our best bet at figuring something out quickly.”

“Fine. Though maybe I will let you punch Mycroft if I can take a swing at the demon.”

“You might just have yourself a deal Greg.”


End file.
